gd if we get this part of it right, then a lot of the other issues surrounding deficit reduction in a fair and balanced, responsible way are going to be a whole lot easier. >> reporter: white house officials say mr. obama is not interested in personally meeting with congressional republicans because those meetings did little to resolve the 2010 debt ceiling crisis. but when mr. obama later skipped congressional meetings and campaigned to extend the 2% payroll tax cut and maintain lower student loan interest rates, he won. the president is primarily focused on step one of this process-- winning the middle class tax cut debate. step two is being led by his treasury secretary jim geithner and liaison rob nabors. they are going to work with congress on spending cut and other fiscal cliff details. the first meeting will be tomorrow on the hill. >> pelley: major, president said today he thought all this could be done by christmas. why does he think so? >> reporter: because that is the big takeaway, scott, from the president's conversation on saturday with house speaker john boehner. the two